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Do Islamic Extremists Not Know the Difference Between CNN and Youtube?

Okay, I almost never get political to this extent on this blog. But, after doing my morning workout and trying to continue my zen state through my first sip of decaffeinated coffee, I made the mistake of turning on the news.

It was there that I saw today’s biggest story. The American ambassador to Libya was killed.

The inciting incident?

A feckin’ video on Youtube.

Are you kidding me?

I watched the video. It’s ridiculous. Bad acting. Made with a sh*tty green screen from time to time. The script isn’t good. It’s 15 minutes of my life that I will never get back because the video makes little sense and comes off like a bad high school play. But, that is not the point. The point is…it’s Youtube!!

Any weirdo going through a mid-life crisis can upload a video on Youtube to live out the way he “sees” the world. Any wack-a-loon can upload their disturbing point of view. It’s an open platform, in terms of uploading, for the most part.

I’m sure there are white power videos on Youtube made by idiots. Does that mean Africa should invade the United States? I can guarantee you there are anti-European videos up on Youtube. Does that mean Europe should invade the United States? And the biggest hate videos of all? I haven’t done a research study here, but I can bet you the biggest quantity of hate videos just might have an “anti-American” slant. Does that mean every person who makes such a video should be persecuted?

Good God, no. It’s called free speech. Not good points made with high production value speech. It means any idiot can say whatever they want and no one gets hurt…or, at least, that’s the way it’s supposed to go.

But, no. Some extremists watched the video, circulated it, and used a piece of the film that makes “Waiting for Guffman” look like high art as a reason to pillage an American embassy and kill a U.S. ambassador.

I am all for religious freedom, but I have to say extremists do not help their cause (nor make their point) with retaliations of this nature. It makes me think one thing and one thing only – extremists are highly sensitive, vulnerable individuals who can have their feelings hurt thousands of miles away by an idiot. Very stupid, if you ask me. Then they are so mentally unbalanced that they retaliate by killing someone who has nothing to do with the video at all. Ay yay yay.

What’s the matter? Was making your response video too much work?

Bottom line, there’s nothing funny about a U.S. ambassador with the pedigree of peace that Christopher Stevens had getting assassinated. There is no good that comes from offing someone with his background. For god’s sake, he was conversationally fluent in Arabic!! Irrelevant to some, maybe, but to me an indicator of someone who is looking to communicate not someone who is looking to lord power over someone else. If that doesn’t satisfy you, use the more relevant example that Stevens was the American envoy to the rebel group that overthrew Gadhafi.

Regardless of your politics, I think it’s easy to see that this one is just, plain, wrong.

It’s also really easy to see that this is CNN:

I’ll take a shoe over a bullet as a protest any day.

And this is some yahoo on Youtube:

Not really a reason to go ape-shit…

Call me crazy, but there’s a big feckin’ difference. Call me crazy, but maybe we need to flood the Middle East with laptops and internet connections. So, eventually the zealots will know the difference too.

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Sweet Mother is updated daily-ish. If you’d like to follow this blog, you can do so by clicking the “follow” link at the top of the page.

the video is so bad. so bad. it doesn’t even make much sense. i can see that they spent that much because they used real plywood to make a jeep look like a tank. and there must’ve been craft services and everything… sigh. ridiculous. and i read your piece on it too. also, well said. xo, sm

It almost reminds me of a bullies mindset. Bullies do what they do because they’re sensitive and insecure but don’t know how to deal with it the correct way. They make fun and pick because they see themselves in you, but don’t want to admit it. Maybe I’m way off but extremist seem the same way, they just have better weapons.

ohmygod, jon. i had LITERALLY the same thought this morning. i was like, ‘they are bullies.’ because what do bullies do – they don’t like what you say/ do/ wear and they punch you out for it. it’s like the punishment never fits the crime or lack thereof. i totally agree.

I too, am all for religious freedom. People should be free to believe in whatever the hell they want. But, I won’t deny that these incidents of religious extremism make me increasingly disillusioned with the idea. As Christopher Hitchens argued, religion is never content. It cannot stand the presence of other religions, or worse, the absence if it. I am not saying that this is the case of all the people following a religion, but it does seem to be true of the nature of religion itself. It shoudn’t take an assassination to take note of this pernicious disease pushed under the rug of freedom. I think the more we tolerate the concept of ‘such’ freedom, the more we encourage these monstrously insecure zealots to feel free to massacre innocent human beings.

We are screaming towards WWIII. Come to Australia, nobody will bomb us because we are a wasteland full of kangaroos, Aborigines, sheep, farmers, pubs and drag queens. Why bother bombing there?
Portia xx

goddamn it. you are so funny. if you’re there, i have no problem making a cabaret somewhere (sea side preferably) into our bomb shelter. or taking a priscilla queen of the desert ride out into the bush… a literal bush, not…well, you know. 😉

I think the main issue here is that of free speech, as you mention. However, I don’t think they really have such a concept there (I’m not exactly a polysci kinda person, so I could be entirely wrong). However, I’m pretty sure our Constitutionally protected rights don’t apply, since this wasn’t in the US.

That said, this is one of the frightening things about the “global” world. You say something here, that pisses off somebody in a country you’ve never heard of, and people who are entirely unrelated to the whole thing get hurt.

I’m stunned. I had no idea that some dumb-assed video on YouTube had been the impetus for the attack on the Libyan Embassy. The poor families of the ones who died! How do you explain that to the grieving families and friends like Ambassador’s grandchildren or his MOTHER?

My God, what’s next? Blowing up a Mercedes Benz dealership because of one of their dumb commercials – like the one on YOU TUBE at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXT3Sma4-rg …..because some Middle-Eastern group gets offended for reasons we can’t even comprehend?!

IMO the truth is more cynical. The people at the head of these fundamentalist militant organizations don’t believe the crap they spout. But their foot-soldiers do. By criticizing Western decadence, they can rile those foot-soldiers up and get them to do evil. The reason they cite for their bloodshed is irrelevant. Hurting the West in any way moves them up in their circles.

you have made a very good point, bharat. this particular reason really bothers me though. i’m not sure why. maybe because it’s so immature and childish sounding. i’d prefer if they just said, ‘we hate you. so, we’re going to attack your embassy.’ it wouldn’t be better, but it would be honest. and you’re right – any excuse it seems… sad, really. sm

Sweet Mom i totally agree with you…extremists are just crazy individuals with no sense of righteousness… i mean to believe in something is good but to make it your only purpose in life that you fail to value human life…stupidity…

people who consider their personal agendas over human life are idiots…sorry for the anger …

All day I have been thinking about all the religions that “South Park” has taken a crack at. I can tell you there were times I was offended, there were times I thought other people should have been. It was on prime time for crying out loud…but nobody, nobody, got killed.
(I know…Kenny did…but not really)

I didn’t watch the video, but I am familiar with the amateur quality of some youtube endeavors. If that all it takes to derail your religion, then you have bigger problems. And obviously they do, if they would kill over something so stupid.

I’m at the end of a rather challenging day of my own. The whole story is beyond comprehension. I’m reminded of two things; a song I heard the Neville Brothers do called “With God on Our Side”, and the screaming rant of Ron Bennington on my satellite radio as I drove home today – I have to admit that in this instance, I agreed 100% with every word from his mouth.

Obviously no one should be killed over idiotic videos anymore than over folk tales which have somehow turned into religions. That is not me bashing any specific religion, that’s me bashing every single one of them. The day will surely come when someone blows up the planet in the name of his god. Does it really matter exactly whose god it will be?

Think I just discovered that I am naive. I believed the “cold war” propaganda tactics no longer existed. The idea that someone could troll the internet, find a video and claim it is US policy is astounding if not ignorant. To have a religious leader incite people to kill is unbelievable. The Muslims I know would never allow for this. Their religion teaches peace. They are as stunned and as dissapointed as we are. I get this was planned by a strategic group. Yet, they were and are able to incite peoples reactions to gain a foothold for themselves. Jim Jones did this in Jonestown. When will this change…..disgusted.

i agree. it’s so disgusting. and jim jones is a spot on example. when will people start thinking for themselves? because if you start thinking even just a little bit, this stuff is not possible… said, truly. xo, sm

yes, i am hearing the same thing now too. so sad, regardless. those people didn’t deserve to die. sigh. i don’t get all of this nonsense over religion. i truly don’t. and i agree, they don’t care. any excuse to kill.